I Should Have Listened
by nsheldonb
Summary: Headmaster Flint realizes that he should have listened to his former Professor. She was always right. Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, JK Rowling does. AU!


**Mirror of Erised**

Headmaster Marcus Flint looked at it. His Professors always told him to never look in mirror, unless you want to drown in your sorrows of what you could _never_ have. He wanted to see what he desired though. After working as the Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher (after Harry had lifted the curse) for 10 years, he was _finally_ given the job of Headmaster. The Headmaster before him was Headmistress Sprout. She only served three years. For seven year before Sprout, Headmistress McGonagall was in control.

They always warned him: "Don't look into the Mirror of Erised boy!"

He never listened and he never will. For some reason, the mirror drew him in. It was as if he was under some kind of spell.

He looked at the tall mirror that was covered by an old, dusty blue blanket. It was soft, filled with memories of the people who saw the Mirror of Erised before him. Lifting his hand to the blanket, he gripped it, but then let go. He was afraid of what he was going to see.

What if it was something he could never have? What would happen to him when he saw it? Will he kill someone or die himself for what he desires? The real question was though: What _does_ my heart truly desire above everything else?

He took a deep breath and yanked the blanket off of the mirror. It was beautiful, large, and mysterious. On the top of the Mirror of Erised, the saying:_ Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi. _Was inscribed on the top. He remember what Harry told him about the inscription. Read backwards, it said: _I show not your face but your heart's desire_.

His head was down. He was afraid of what he would see. Becoming the Slytherin he was, he looked up, not afraid of the Mirror of Erised. He shouldn't have looked though.

For the Mirror of Erised showed him his heart's desire. All of his worries about the mirror were coming true. It was something he could never happen. It was something that he would kill himself for. On the Mirror of Erised, stood a smiling Marcus Flint with the one person that he could never have for she was dead, long gone with most of his friends and family. Emily Clearwater was smiling up at his mirror- self. Her blue eyes sparkled up at him with joy, there was happiness in those eyes. Marcus and Emily weren't the only couple though. Fred Weasley and Hermione Lupin were hugging each other, smiling at Marcus. Luna Lovegood was with George Weasley, kissing his cheek as he blushed furiously. Off on their own party, with no romance, was Cedric Diggory, Harry Potter, and Oliver Wood. Marcus saw his siblings and parents. His parents were their usual selves, happy and mushy. His younger siblings, Alana and Marko, were having fun, messing around. They had a certain spark in their eyes. In fact, all of them had that spark in their eyes.

Headmaster Flint sighed. All of them were right. He should have never looked into that mirror. When he saw what his heart's desire was, he realized how badly he wished he had died in the Battle of Hogwarts, along with most of his friends and family.

The Mirror of Erised reminded him of things that he wished weren't real. Talking to himself, he might as well speak out loud.

"My heart will _never_ have was it truly desires anymore." He stopped, then sighed in sadness, pain, and agony.

"Emily is dead and can't marry me. Fred is dead and Hermione married his idiotic bitchy brother. George committed suicide two weeks ago and he even told me. I didn't even stop it!" He sobbed, curling up in a ball, letting the tears drip down.

"Luna is with some dumbass named Scamander that makes her odd and stupider that I wonder if she was ever a _real_ Ravenclaw! Cedric is dead, away from us at first." He cried some more. He remembered the day that Cedric died. He was helping Charlie Weasley with the dragons in Romania because he was thinking about being a dragon tamer. Charlie had told him about the Tri- Wizard Tournament and Marcus went with him to watch. That year was horrible. Cedric _and_ Harry were participants. Cedric had died at the end of the Tri- Wizard Tournament. People say that Death makes people stronger, but that Death... It made them _all_ weaker.

"Harry and Oliver are both stuck in marriages and can't even get out!" He hated the two girls that took advantage of them when they were at their weakest. Ginny Weasley and Katie Bell had swooped in and shoved Marcus away. Their friendship became also non- existent. Five years ago, Marcus stopped receiving any invitations to go to the Potter, Weasley, Scamander, or Wood homes. He almost gave up home then.

"Mum and dad are dead from the war!" He remembered when he cried at his parent's funerals, almost losing hope, that was the first time he lost some hope. "Alana and Marko are also dead!" Alana and Marko were _so_ close to him. Alana was 7 years younger than Marcus and Marko was 15 years younger than him, but Marcus didn't care. Age was, but a number. Marcus could be five hundred years older than them and he would_ still_ love them with all his heart.

In his office, on September 1st, 2008, Headmaster Marcus Flint of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry lost hope completely. Poor Marcus Flint is now dead, committed suicide. He had letters, five letters to be exact. One was for Hermione, one for Harry, one for Oliver, and one for Luna. The last letter wasn't even a letter though, more like a note.

Former Headmistress McGonagall was drinking her morning tea, like she did every day since she retired finally. Don't get her wrong! She _loves_ teaching the children, but the stress was too much on her. There was a tapping at the glass and she opened it to see a gray owl looking at her with blue eyes. This owl looked familiar, but she couldn't place it. She found a little slip of paper attached to the owl. Getting it, she read:

_Dear Minerva McGonagall,_

_This is the last communication you will have of me. I'm now dead, away from the agony and pain. I should have listened to you and everyone else. You always told me to not look into it, but I did and now I'm dead. I don't want you to go out of retirement and become Headmistress again, but I will say, you were right._

_ Your former student that didn't listen to you,_

_ MF_

_P.S. I'm sorry I didn't listen._


End file.
